Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-04-07
A BANK ACCOUNT.
USEFUL HINTS TO PEOPLE WHO
KEEP MONEY ON DEPOSIT.

KEEP MONEY ON DEPOSIT.
How to Guard Against Fraud or Mistake
in Business Transactions-Check Book
and stubs-writing Up the Bank Book.
Checks as Receipts.
The custom of the banks, when it is decided
to open an account with customer, is TO re-
quire the customer To write his name in
book, kept for that purpose, at the time the
account is opened The obvious reason Is to
guard against fraud or mistake in all subse-
quent transactions in which the hank has to
determine the genuineness of the customers
signature. If the genuineneSs of a check pre-
sented for payment to the paying teller is sus-
pected, the signature may be compared at
once with that recorded with the bank, as has
been stated, and thus its validity be deter
mined.
In opening an account with a bank the Gus
toner is furnished by the bank with book
in which is entered on the left hand, or credit,
page the amount deposited by him. All sub
sequent deposits are entered in the book, with
the date, respectively, Of each deposit. At
the time of opening an account the bank will,
generally, furnish the customer with check
book containing twenty-five or more checks,
and for this no charge is made. Persons wish
ing to have nicely engraved checks can get
them, but a charge is usual in such cases,
though the amount will not exceed seventy
five cents for a book of like number of
checks. At the same time the bank will also
furnish to the customer sufficient number Of
''tickets," which are small pieces of paper
containing at the head blank for the per-
sons name to be inserted, also blank for the
date, and below the words checks" and
Hcash." Whenever deposit is made the de-
positor fills up ticket, giving his name and
the date, and writing in the column against
the words "check' and lash the amount Of
each, respectively, deposited. These tickets
should always accompany the bank book
when deposit is made They are kept on
file by the bank, and serve as vouchers for
both the bank and the depositor, from which
the accuracy of the account may be deter
mined if. the question should arise at any
time as to the amount, the time and the ma
ture of any deposit.
A moments examination Of the check book
will serve to show the depositor the method
of drawing a check. 1t will be observed,
first, that every check is numbered in its
order, generally upon the upper left hand
corner. Again, the place to tear off a check
is indicated by the perforated line When
torn off at this line the part remaining in the
book is called the STUB"
A check is merely an order on a bank to
pay the person named in the check a certain
sum of money. 1t will be obvious to any one
who is about to draw his check that it should
be dated, and the name of the payee, or per-
son in whose favor it is drawn, should be in
serted in the body of the check; that the
amount to be paid should be written in, and
also indicated by figures after the dollar sign,
and that the check should be signed by the
drawer at the place indicated. A check should
always be drawn with great care and ac-
curacy
The stubs, to which reference has been
made, are an important part of check book,
as they contain a complete record, if properly
kept of all transactions with the bank. They
are transcripts OF all checks drawn from time
to time, and show the numbers, amounts, the
dates and the names of the payees, respectively.
In drawing checks filling up the stubs should
never be omitted. 1t is not only important
for the reasons stated, but is vastly important
in determining the state of the account By
adding together the several amounts found in
the stubs it is obvious that the amount drawn
from the bank may be readily determined.
posted, which will appear in the bank book,
will show the amount standing to the credit
of the depositor. A gentleman, for the sake
of convenience, once took out of his check
book number of blank checks, which he
carried in his pocket, in order that he might
use them at any time. He used them all, but
neglected to keep an account Of them, as he
would have done had he had the stubs before
him, when, to his disnay, he was one day
notified by the bank that his account was
nvArrlraUn ST. ST. ehacks like small and
frequent accounts at a store, make terrible
inroads upon ones bank account, and it is
well to watch them closely.
A bank book should be regularly and fire.
quently "written up" particularly when
checks have been frequently drawn. This is
done at the bank by bookkeeper, who enters
in the bank book the amount shown by the
customers account to have been paid from
time to time. These amounts are compared
with the checks drawn to insure accuracy.
When thus Transcribed into the customers
book. the amount is found and subtracted
from the amount deposited, and the balance
carried TO q new account The checks are
returned to the customer with his book when
it is written up, and are the customers
vouchers. He may compare them with the
stubs in his check book and determine
whether they correspond in amount and are
correct. 1t is well to keep these checks. In
many cases they serve as receipts for bills
paid. They are receipts. A check is given,
for instance, to the dressmaker for her bill;
it is payable to her order. Before she can
get the money upon it she must indorse it;
that is, write her name across the back.
When returned by the bank to the drawer
with such Endorsement it shows that the
check has been presented by her and paid;
and it then becomes a receipt, or what is
equivalent to one.-Demorest's Monthly.